I Don't Know if I Found Photography, or it Found Me

Dear friend,

I've always been a creative person. It would often go in phases from taking sewing classes for a few years, to pouring my heart into music and instruments. Next came baking, then gardening. Whatever seemed to light that spark in my soul, and I ran with it.

I think deep down I've always been a photographer and just didn't know it. I think it came from my dad. We would always joke about the amount of pictures he took, each vacation bringing hundreds or thousands more into our collections, more than we could possibly find time to sift through.

As I got older, I started taking more pictures, but not of landscapes or environments. I loved taking pictures of people. Especially as I graduated high school and started college, it was my way of holding on to these people that I so dearly loved and missed as phases of life ended and began. It's like my heart knew that pictures were the only way to bottle up a memory before it disappeared.

Honestly, it became borderline obsessive. I became known as the 'selfie-queen' among friends and as I traveled or formed new friend groups, there would be silly competitions for who could pop into my pictures with the funniest face or prop. I'd take pictures of friends I made on the bus or with my entire class at the end of each semester. Each date I went on, mentor who helped me, and coworker I worked with... they have become part of my photo collection.

It wasn't until I had my baby girl that this 'little' hobby transformed. I remember looking at her precious face and longing to have beautiful photos before she changed and grew up too quickly. The prices for photos were unaffordable for us at the time, so I figured, 'how hard could it be?' and decided to take some photos on my phone. Well, that was the turning point. A few YouTube videos and simple photo session later, there was no going back. I found my first camera on Ebay, spent hours watching videos and eating up any free material I could find, building my skills and learning as much as I could. I was ravenous for information and a few months later, I started my business, Rashae Williams Photography.

I didn't really connect the dots until writing this all out, but it makes sense that someone who loves taking pictures of people so much should end up turning it into a business and full fledged passion as I have done. I can honestly say that learning this craft has changed my life. As with anything, there is a lot more to it than it seems at first glance, but how I'm grateful for it.

Thank you for joining me on this journey and reading these words. It means so much. I look forward to all that we may experience and continue to learn together.

All my best, Rashae